this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Summary

A French court found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling over €3 million in EU funds, potentially ending her 2027 presidential bid.

The judge ruled Le Pen and 24 others misused European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay National Rally party staff, calling it a deliberate scheme, not an error.

Prosecutors had sought five years’ prison and a public office ban. Even with an appeal, a provisional execution could bar her candidacy.

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[–] Montreal_Metro@lemmy.ca 20 points 6 days ago

Good, she’s an awful person.

[–] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I wonder if she'll write a book about her struggle

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 9 points 6 days ago

Ma Lutte?

Sounds like a medieval guitar.

[–] toxla@lemm.ee 5 points 6 days ago

Well, as a politician the more your disrespect law the more you are likely to be elected (hi Sarkozy, hi Trump)

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

provisional execution could bar her candidacy.

Well, execution will definitely put a crimp in her political plans.

[–] UnsavoryMollusk@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

She can steal appeal. Hope she loses harder then.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago

Is Trump now going to demand that the French government pardon her?

[–] Itzdan@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)
[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 256 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Let's hope the French justice system is more competent than the US one.

[–] cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 1 week ago (12 children)
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[–] Wytch@lemmy.zip 179 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Wait, y'all can just convict a right-wing political figure and like, get rid of them? Forever?

We gotta check our math, I think we did something wrong over here.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 54 points 1 week ago

Yeah. It was reconstruction where we never held the south to account for their treasonous actions.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Lol of course not. She'll be right back in five years. And people will vote for her again.

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[–] Zier@fedia.io 85 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What? Another 'conservative' who is a criminal? Shocked! Shocked I say!

[–] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 62 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (6 children)

She's not your average conservative. She's an actual fascist -- linked with Orbán, Trump, Meloni, received millions from Putin, and her party was formed by and still includes numerous nazis, regardless of her rebranding efforts. This goes both for the founding members and the current recruits.

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[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 80 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] arafatknee@lemmy.dbzer0.com 78 points 1 week ago

What? I thought the fascists were decent, law abiding people?

[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 67 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

"could" end it.

Are we cooked as a species? Embezzlement is a pretty big crime. She should be going to jail and it should most definitely end her political aspirations

[–] lumony@lemmings.world 1 points 6 days ago

Are we cooked as a species?

Yes, and it's by design.

Parents who have sold themselves out also condition their children to do the same thing.

The people who are taken advantage of the most are the ones who never realize it.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 27 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Classic right wing thinking means that for them, the morally righteous can do no wrong, so convictions of embezzlement don't matter. Laws are there only to punish the undeserving, meaning everyone not in the in-group.

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[–] Amonverite@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Same way Trump's "political aspirations" need to be ended

[–] x00z@lemmy.world -5 points 1 week ago

This is about France and not the USA.

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[–] Bristingr@lemm.ee 47 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Wish our justice system actually did it's job here...

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[–] randomprecision@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Fantastic news even!

[–] LuckingFurker@lemmy.blahaj.zone 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] PumpkinSkink@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago (3 children)

If she's banned from running it will be the first instance of a western liberal country reacting appropriately to the resurgence of fascism. Good on France.

[–] vga@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 days ago

Nah, not the first.

The appropriate reaction would be to ban them for being fucking fascists, not for some incidental crime they happened to commit.

[–] Pringles@lemm.ee 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Well, she still committed financial fraud. It's more the judiciary doing its job. Sarkozy was also convicted after his presidency.

[–] jumjummy@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, if only other Western countries barred politicians from running or holding office if they’ve been convicted of a crime…

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[–] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 35 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

The worst thing in this statement is "could" - "could end her career".

A system that doesn't automatically provide real consequences and makes an example of the criminal is a corrupt system in itself. There shouldn't even be a 'could' in a so-called 'fair and free system'.

And this isn't just France, by far. Cheers from the Banana Republic known as Portugal, quite the paradise for corrupt politicians.

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 30 points 1 week ago

CELEBRATION TIME COME ON

[–] Visstix@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago

Hehe get fucked

[–] cute_noker@feddit.dk 25 points 1 week ago

So many good news rolling in today

[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago
[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week ago

The fascist who could have ended the French republic and turned it into a fascist state being done in by an embezzlement charge sounds like an insult.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Could someone tell me how she was able to walk out of the court having been sentenced to prison?

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The prison sentence kicks in after appeals have been made. 2 years, plus 2 suspended.

It's also not unknown/uncommon for people to be let free for a few days. It lets them put their affairs in order, before serving their time. It tends to be applied to those with a very low flight risk however, with significant affairs, so mainly the rich.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

I feel shocked.

/s

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